While many individuals initially struggle to find their ideal vocation, Claude Touikan has never been one of those people. For him, architecture was a calling from a young age. It offered the opportunity to leave an indelible mark on the future, to change the world for the better. Even in his university days, the co-founder and executive director of Lead8, one of Hong Kong’s most sought-after architectural firms, knew that he wanted to shape the societal fabric and skylines of cities.
“That’s the only thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’d like to be Billy Joel, but it’s impossible,” Touikan says with a laugh. “What drew me into architecture was a very strange story. I went to the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada. I was cleaning the library one day and I saw a book on architecture, and that’s how it started.”
Nowadays, that dream of building skyscrapers is very much a reality. Since its founding, Lead8 has been at the forefront of Asia’s ongoing building boom. The firm has left its creative fingerprints everywhere from state-of-the-art international airport terminals to ambitious mixed-use developments and shopping centres that merge sophisticated AI with fully realised entertainment complexes.
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